Following the strike-shortened 1981 season, big-league baseball needed a feel-good narrative to rekindle fan interest. Harvey’s Wallbangers were one of those stories. The club was filled with a memorable cast of characters, future Hall of Famers, and All-Stars: from Robin Yount, the former Boy Wonder who at age 26 was playing in his ninth full season with the Brewers; the Fu Manchu-wearing and prodigious slugger Gorman Thomas; Ted Simmons, whose shoulder-length mane of hair resulted in the nickname Simba; and Rollie Fingers, with his famous groomed twirling handlebar ’stache, to the criminally underrated, perennial .300 hitter and RBI machine Cecil Cooper; former HR champ Ben Oglivie; and emerging superstar Paul Molitor.

Aiming for the fences, Harvey’s Wallbangers led the majors with 216 home runs, 30 more than any other big-league team. Three of the top five home-run hitters in the AL were Brewers, including Stormin’ Gorman, who tied the California Angels’ Reggie Jackson for the league lead with 39. Harvey’s Wallbangers weren’t just sluggers. They were a close-knit and resilient group that weathered controversies and slumps to capture the AL East crown on the last day of the season, overcome a two-games-to-none deficit to win the best-of-five League Championship Series, and move to within one game of winning the World Series.

The Brewers did not begin the 1982 season as Harvey’s Wallbangers. Their manager was Buck Rodgers, who had guided the club to its first postseason berth in franchise history a year earlier. Many predicted that the Brewers would challenge the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, and New York Yankees for the AL East crown. The Brewers, however, started the season sluggishly, losing five straight games in early April, and then slumped in May, losing 14 of 20 games during a woeful stretch. On June 1 the Brewers were languishing with a losing record (23-24), tied with the Baltimore Orioles for fifth place in the seven-team division. Team owner Bud Selig and GM Harry Dalton acted decisively and replaced Rodgers with longtime coach and former 10-time All-Star Harvey Kuenn. Harvey’s Wallbangers were born.

The Brewers immediately responded to the first-time skipper’s laid-back and let’s-have-some-fun attitude. With the offense firing on all cylinders, the Brewers won 21 of their first 29 games under Kuenn’s guidance to move into a tie with the Red Sox on July 3. They began September in first place, 4½ games ahead of the Red Sox and 5 in front of the Orioles. The outlook looked even more promising as the team acquired future Hall of Famer Don Sutton in a trade with the Houston Astros for the final month. However, the situation grew tense. Reigning AL MVP and Cy Young Award winner Rollie Fingers was sidelined with an arm injury and ultimately missed the last month of the regular season and the entire postseason, putting pressure on a pitching staff generally regarded as mediocre.

As well as the Brewers played in September (17-11), the Orioles were even hotter, winning 30 of 40 games, to pull to within one game of the Brewers and set up a dream scenario: a season-concluding four-game, winner-take-all series between the two teams in Baltimore. The Orioles trounced the Brewers in the first three contests, outscoring them 26-7, to pull into a tie. In the season’s final game, the Brewers’ stars led them to victory and the team’s first divisional crown, in a crushing 10-2 victory. Robin Yount slugged two home runs and beat out a triple to cement his MVP season, Cecil Cooper and Ted Simmons bashed round-trippers, and 37-year-old graybeard Don Sutton pitched the most important game of his career to that point, tossing eight strong innings.

The Brewers experienced a roller-coaster postseason. After losing the first two games of the ALCS to the California Angels in Anaheim, Harvey’s Wallbangers returned to County Stadium in Milwaukee and won three straight, led by pitching, to take the pennant. The World Series pitted two philosophies: the Brewers’ prodigious power against the St. Louis Cardinals’ Whitey Ball, so named for manager Whitey Herzog’s emphasis on speed, defense, and pitching. After winning Game Five at County Stadium, 6-4, once again led by Yount’s four hits, including a home run and double, Harvey’s Wallbangers were on the precipice of the title. In agonizing fashion, the Brewers lost Games Six and Seven in St. Louis, their bats quieted by excellent pitching, scoring just four runs.

Despite the loss, the Brewers were still champions, at least in the hearts of their fans. Upon returning to Milwaukee, the team was feted by a grand parade. Four decades later, Harvey’s Wallbangers still hold a special place in Milwaukee sports lore.

This SABR Digital Library book is the result of the tireless work of more than 40 members of the Society for American Baseball Research. SABR members researched and wrote all of the biographies, game accounts, and essays in this volume. These uncompensated volunteers are united by their shared interest in baseball history and a resolute commitment to preserving its history. Without their unwavering dedication, this volume would not have been possible.

I am indebted to the associate editors and extend to them my sincerest appreciation. Bill Nowlin, the second reader; fact-checker Carl Riechers; and copy editor Len Levin each read every word of all the contributions and made numerous corrections to language, style, and content. Their attention to detail has been invaluable. It has been a pleasure to once again work on a book project with such professionals, with whom I corresponded practically every day, and typically more than once. What a team we have!

I thank all of the authors for their contributions, meticulous research, cooperation through the revising and editing process, and finally their patience. It was a long journey from the day the book was launched to its completion, and we’ve finally reached our destination. We did it! Please refer to the list of contributors at the end of the book for more information.

This book would not have been possible without the generous support of the staff and Board of Directors of SABR, SABR Publications Director Cecilia Tan, and designer David Peng.

We express our sincere thanks and heartfelt gratitude to the Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club and Robbin Barnes, publications assistant, for providing every photo for this book, including those on the cover. The Brewers’ support of SABR’s nonprofit mission is greatly appreciated. Without their generosity, this book would not have been possible.

And finally, I wish to thank my wife, Margaret, and daughter, Gabriela, for their support of and endless patience with my baseball pursuits. They’re accustomed to me working on my “SABR stuff.” We’re looking forward to seeing the Brewers this season and enjoying their wonderful ballpark.

As the Brewers and Major League Baseball celebrate the 50th anniversary of the club in Milwaukee in 2020, we invite you to sit back, relax for a few minutes, and enjoy reading about Harvey’s Wallbangers – the 1982 Milwaukee Brewers!

GREGORY H. WOLF was born in Pittsburgh, but now resides in the Chicagoland area with his wife, Margaret, and daughter, Gabriela. A professor of German studies and holder of the Dennis and Jean Bauman Endowed Chair in the Humanities at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois, he has edited a dozen books for SABR. He is currently working on projects about Shibe Park in Philadelphia and Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. Since January 2017 he has been co-director of SABR’s BioProject, which you can follow on Facebook and Twitter.

Let’s take a look back at how the complex blockbuster deal developed – and the value that each team got from it. The bottom line:

The Brewers benefited more directly in the short term … The trade is viewed by many as the best the franchise has ever made. It brought back-to-back Cy Young Award winners, helped get Milwaukee into the playoffs for the first time ever in 1981, and nearly paid off with a World Series championship the next year. However, injuries curtailed the careers of Fingers and Vuckovich, and Simmons was in decline after 1982. Unlike the Cardinals, Milwaukee got almost no value from subsequent transactions.

… but the Cardinals won big through secondary deals and beyond: The players obtained from Milwaukee didn’t make the same kind of direct impact – but subsequently, they were involved in other very important trades. Lezcano was part of the deal that brought the brilliant shortstop Ozzie Smith. Sorensen was part of a three-way trade that provided another key member of the ’82 champs, Lonnie Smith. Even though Green didn’t fulfill his vast potential, he and LaPoint helped net Jack Clark, the big bopper on the pennant winners of 1985 and 1987. What’s more, when Clark left as a free agent, the Cardinals got a draft pick who turned out to be a star: Brian Jordan. Thus, they were still benefiting from this deal as late as 1998. It might have gone on even longer had Chance Caple, the pick received when Jordan too became a free agent, reached the majors.

How the deal developed

According to Daniel Okrent in Nine Innings, the Brewers and Cardinals started to feel each other out in October with a simple even-up proposal: Vuckovich for Sorensen. Cardinals manager/general manager Whitey Herzog wasn’t willing to give Vuckovich a long-term contract. Brewers GM Harry Dalton turned down the offer then and again in November, but he got scout Dee Fondy to check out Vuckovich – his ability, the condition of his arm, his alleged love of nightlife. The reports all came back positive. Ray Scarborough, then a special-assignment scout for the Brewers, seconded Fondy.2

Milwaukee’s primary goal that offseason was to obtain a high-quality relief pitcher. They wanted either Fingers, then with the San Diego Padres, or Bruce Sutter, then a Chicago Cub. But on December 8, 1980, the Cardinals obtained Fingers in an 11-player trade with San Diego. The very next day, St. Louis got Sutter too.

The Brewers had also been looking into another Cubs reliever, Dick Tidrow, who was capable but not in the same echelon. “As soon as Whitey got Sutter, we figured he wouldn’t want to keep Fingers, too,” Harry Dalton said. “That’s when we started talking about Fingers, and we also knew that Vuckovich and Simmons might be available.”3

Indeed, the St. Louis makeover started on December 7 with the signing of free-agent catcher Darrell Porter from the Kansas City Royals. The idea was to move Simmons (somewhat suspect defensively) to first base and put Keith Hernandez in left field. Both players expressed their doubts. “You’re taking a Gold Glove and putting him at a position other than where he might win it,” Simmons said of Hernandez, one of the best-fielding first basemen ever to play the game. After mulling it over, Simmons asked to be traded.4

It’s also notable that Milwaukee’s plans for the 1981 season included shifting Paul Molitor from the infield to center field and Gorman Thomas from center to right. “The Brewers decided to gamble on putting Lezcano up for barter,” Sports Illustrated wrote in March 1981. “Sixto became expendable,” said Buck Rodgers, then the team’s manager. “We knew we had to give up quality to get quality. We had to decide what good player to give up.”5

Surrendering Vuckovich meant that the Cardinals “needed depth on the staff,” said Herzog. “So we traded for Lary Sorensen.”6 LaPoint was still just a prospect then. He was in the mix for a spot on the St. Louis staff in 1981 but did not play with the big club until that September.

As negotiations progressed, the sticking point was Green. The gifted but troubled Nicaraguan was off the table at first. Brewers scout Ray Poitevint, who’d signed Green in 1978, argued vehemently against including him. Former Brewers PR director Tom Skibosh recalled, “It got so heated that Ray Poitevint and Ray Scarborough almost came to fisticuffs in a meeting. Poitevint was saying, ‘David Green is the future of this organization,’ and Scarborough was saying, ‘Forget the future. We have a chance to get these guys; we want to win now.’ They almost went at it. They had to separate them.”7

But as Herzog said, “We think so much of Green that we would not have made the deal if he had not been in it.”8 Poitevint – and Dalton – relented.

Green’s potential outweighed Herzog’s reservations. In 1995 he said that he’d heard from a Milwaukee scout that Green had a problem with alcohol before the trade was made.9 Players’ substance-abuse history was an undercurrent in Herzog’s decision-making. Darrell Porter had gone through rehab in the spring of 1980 and had to battle problems throughout his life (cocaine use contributed to his death in 2002). Sorensen also developed severe alcoholism, though it is not clear whether it had come to a head during his time in Milwaukee and St. Louis.

There was one final hurdle to clear, though: Simmons’s agent, Larue Harcourt, demanded payment before the catcher would waive his “10-and-five” rights (i.e., as a veteran of 10 years’ standing, the last five with the same club, Simmons could block a trade).10 Originally Harcourt wanted $1 million, his estimate of the market value then for Simmons.

Dalton had reconciled himself to the idea of a payment, but he also was still considering a smaller-scale deal with St. Louis. He also was in talks with the Philadelphia Phillies about a deal involving Lezcano, who’d been disappointing in 1980 after a career year in 1979. Herzog had a good fallback option too – the New York Yankees had offered a deal that included their best pitcher, Ron Guidry. He was willing to take it if Milwaukee couldn’t sign Simmons.11

Milwaukee didn’t want the deal to blow up; they’d heard the Yankees were also very interested in Vuckovich as well as Simmons. Also, because of New York’s offer, the smaller trade with St. Louis was no longer an option. So the Brewers’ president/owner, Bud Selig, authorized Dalton to go up to a $750,000 payment to get Simmons.12 “We decided to wrap it up and we did,” said Dalton in 1982.13

With the benefit of hindsight, how did the big trade work out?

Let’s first look at it from Milwaukee’s side.

Fingers: The mustachioed closer paid immediate dividends for the Brewers, winning the AL Cy Young Award in 1981. Alas, injury in September 1982 ended his season early; who knows how the World Series might have turned out had he been available? He missed all of 1983 and the second half of 1984. Milwaukee released him after 1985 and his big-league career was finished.

Simmons: The catcher had a down year in 1981 but rebounded strongly in ’82. The 1983 season was the last in which he played a significant amount behind the plate. Milwaukee traded him to the Atlanta Braves in March 1986 for catcher Rick Cerone and two other players who never made it to the majors (pitcher David Clay and infielder Flavio Alfaro). Cerone played just one season with the Brewers and then joined the Yankees as a free agent. The Brewers received a second-round draft pick as compensation. That player, pitcher Curt Krippner, never advanced beyond Class A.

Vuckovich: The menacing mound psychologist had two good years in Milwaukee, including a Cy Young Award in 1982. Subsequent arm problems may well have been caused by overuse down the stretch in ’82, though the ultra-competitive Vuke always wanted the ball. From 1983 on, he pitched in just 31 games; he retired after spring training 1987.

The table below quantifies Milwaukee’s benefits in terms of Wins Above Replacement (WAR) at the primary and secondary level.

Source: Baseball-reference.com.

And now let’s turn to the value the Cardinals received. This is trickier to analyze because the “trade tree” has a lot more branches.

LaPoint: During the trade talks in 1980, Harry Dalton thought that the lefty prospect might develop into a 15-game winner. George Bamberger, who’d managed the Brewers for part of that season and who was renowned for his knowledge of pitching, said, “Good luck to him. Don’t look back.”14 LaPoint played in St. Louis from 1981 through 1984 after the trade with Milwaukee. He was then part of the five-player deal in February 1985 that brought Jack Clark from the San Francisco Giants. As it developed, the most valuable player the Giants got from St. Louis was shortstop José Uribe. Uribe was not an impact player like Clark, though, which shows a limitation of the WAR analysis here.

LaPoint actually did wind up winning as many as 14 games in 1988. His major-league career lasted through 1991.

Sorensen: The righty pitched just one year in St. Louis, going 7-7 with a 3.27 ERA during the strike season of 1981. He then went to the Cleveland Indians as part of the three-way deal in November 1981 that brought Lonnie Smith to St. Louis from the Phillies. As Whitey Herzog recalled in 2016, Smith was a risk, because of a known cocaine habit (which landed him in rehab in 1983) and an apparent fight he’d had with the Phillies’ mascot, the Phanatic.15 Yet when Herzog heard that Indians GM Phil Seghi said the Tribe needed pitching more than Smith, and that the price was Sorensen and Silvio Martinez, Herzog said, “Get [Seghi] on the phone and make that deal right now.”16

Smith was the Cardinals’ starting left fielder from 1982 – when he was runner-up for National League MVP – until he was traded in May 1985. Sorensen spent two seasons with the Indians – the first subpar, the second pretty good – and then left as a free agent. His major-league career lasted through 1988 and was hampered by alcohol and cocaine use. Later in life, Sorensen’s alcohol problem became especially severe.17

Lezcano: Like Sorensen, the Puerto Rican was in St. Louis only for 1981. He didn’t do all that much. In December 1981, Ozzie Smith – “The Wizard” – came to St. Louis in the trade that featured shortstop Garry Templeton, often labeled “talented but moody.” Smith stayed with the Redbirds for 15 years and then retired; six years later, he entered the Hall of Fame. Lezcano was out of the majors after 1985.

Green: David Green is one of baseball’s big “what if?” stories. But as Harry Dalton put it, “Not every phenom phenominates.”18 Nagging injuries as well as his personal troubles kept Green from realizing his “five-tool” promise. Green spent one unimpressive season with the Giants, and after that, his only other time in the majors was 14 games for the Cardinals in late 1987.

The following table quantifies the Cardinals’ benefits from the deal in terms of WAR at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels.

Source: Baseball-reference.com.

RORY COSTELLO has contributed to a variety of SABR book projects over the years. This one intrigued him because of the characters on the club. Rory lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife, Noriko, and son, Kai.

Notes

1 Dave Anderson, “Trade That Brewed the 6-Pack Series,” New York Times, October 12, 1982.

2 Daniel Okrent, Nine Innings (Boston: Houghton Miflin Company, 1985), 206-207.

3 Anderson, “Trade That Brewed the 6-Pack Series.”

4 Rick Hummel, “Cards Do a Quick-Change Routine,” The Sporting News, December 27, 1980: 41.

5 Ron Fimrite, “The Trade That Made Milwaukee Famous,” Sports Illustrated, March 16, 1981.

6 Joseph Durso, “It’s Experimental, but Cards Beat Mets, 5-3,” New York Times, March 15, 1981.

7 Dennis Punzel, “Brewers’ Trade Dilemma Has Familiar Ring,” Capital Times (Madison, Wisconsin), July 6, 2008.

8 “Cardinals Trade Simmons, Fingers to Milwaukee.” United Press International, December 13, 1980.

9 Rick Hummel, “Herzog Laments Wasted Potential of David Green,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 5, 1995: 7F.

10 Hummel, “Cards Do a Quick-Change Routine.”

11 Okrent, Nine Innings, 210-212.

12 Okrent, Nine Innings, 212-213.

13 Anderson, “Trade That Brewed the 6-Pack Series.”

14 Okrent, Nine Innings, 206.

15 Todd Eschman, “Whitey Herzog Revisits the Year He Rebuilt the Redbirds,” Belleville (Illinois) News-Democrat, January 24, 2016.

16 Whitey Herzog and Kevin Horrigan, White Rat (New York: Harper & Row, 1987), 139.

17 “The Successes, Demons, and Trials of Lary Sorensen,” Yes! Weekly, July 16, 2014.

18 Okrent, Nine Innings, 210.

Buck Rodgers, Milwaukee’s third-base coach since 1978, replaced popular and charismatic manager George Bamberger, who retired for health reasons after the 1980 season. After enduring ups and downs, the Brewers rallied to make the franchise’s first postseason appearance, in another playoff level caused by the first midseason strike. They battled the New York Yankees to Game Five before losing. Owner Bud Selig and Dalton felt they owed the only manager to lead them to the playoffs by rehiring him with a one-year contract although concerned with his management style. In September, the Milwaukee Journal published an article quoting undisclosed players’ very critical comments about Rodgers because he overmanaged, didn’t communicate, and didn’t relate to the players. “If they win, it was in spite of their manager. I don’t think anyone on the club likes him,” one said.2

Entering the spring of 1982, Rodgers admitted that his managerial style, playing the percentages by the book, caused questioning the previous year. Unlike his beloved predecessor who made out the lineup and let his players compete, he preferred making moves, removing pitchers quickly, and changing lineups, which caused second-guessing and accusations of over-managing. Rodgers said, “Maybe I’m too blunt but I don’t think so. As much as I can, I let them know where they stand.”3

The Brewers were struggling, falling below .500 and dissension was growing to a boiling point on Monday, May 31, when closer Rollie Fingers loudly complained about Rodgers’ using matchups instead of his closer, with Mike Caldwell giving up the tying run in the ninth in a game lost in extra innings. After the game, Fingers proclaimed, “That’s the nail in the coffin.”4 Others wondered why not use your best pitcher. Change was needed. It was the fourth time in eight games that the Brewers lost a late lead and their 14th defeat in 20 games, dropping them from second place to fifth, 7½ games out of first. After contemplating a change for two weeks, Dalton deciding on the afternoon of Tuesday, June 2, to fire Rodgers and notified him on Wednesday morning.5 Monday’s blowup wasn’t the last straw, he said, adding, “I don’t consider it a question of respect. I consider it a matter of responding to the manager. Whether they respect him, or defy him doesn’t matter. But they were not responding. We were not getting a performance up to their capabilities.”6

Rodgers wasn’t surprised, saying he had been expecting to be fired for two weeks. “If I did wrong, I did wrong. But I did it according to what I believe was right,” he said. “I’d do the same thing all over again.”7 Dalton’s action had immediate effect. The Milwaukee Journal reported, “The mood in the Brewers’ clubhouse was lighter and happier than it had been in some time, but very few players were blaming Rodgers for the recent failures.”8 Mike Caldwell, who battled with Rodgers’ quick pitching hook, said, “Buck to me, just didn’t interject the personality into the club that was needed.” Ted Simmons, who also had issues was conciliatory, saying, “This may sound strange, but it always a little saddening. I don’t like to see people fired. Cecil Cooper responded, “I think we needed a change. We are not a .500 team.”9

The new manager fostered a relaxed atmosphere, reminding the players often that it wasn’t life or death but a ballgame. Kuenn said his primary point to the players was: “I like the club to have a good time, be loose, and have a laugh. Go out and play the game and have fun. But I can be tough if I have to. They all know it.”10 His message was well received. Gorman Thomas, who praised Kuenn for helping him become a major-league hitter, said, “I don’t think you can find a better choice. He’s got the total respect of the players.”11 He showed he was different in his first game when Caldwell struggled in the sixth inning. Unlike Rodgers, he showed confidence in his starter, giving him an opportunity to work out of trouble, and Caldwell did, turning in a complete-game victory.

The fun-loving Brewers went on a rampage, becoming Harvey’s Wallbangers with their nightly power displays. They won 21 of 30 games, returned to the top of the AL East on July 3, and took permanent ownership of first place on August 1. Kuenn’s record was 72-43, a .626 winning percentage, and at season’s end Milwaukee had baseball’s best record, 95-67. With his calm demeanor, he led the team with big must-win games, all the way to Game Seven of the World Series, losing to the St. Louis Cardinals. Kuenn finished second for The Sporting News Manager of the Year Award and was named the Associated Press AL Manager of the Year.12

The players’ respect for Kuenn was captured in an article by Mario Ziino in the Brewers Game Day in 2007, the 25th anniversary of the pennant year. Jim Ganter told Ziino, “It was like playing for your dad. No monkey business. Once the game started he was serious. But he’d always tell us to have fun playing the game.” Gorman Thomas said, “You’d look at him and say this man has given his heart and soul to the game and us. How could I not run through a wall for him?” And the 1982 MVP, Robin Yount, fondly recalled, “Harvey Keunn was my hitting coach when I first came up. We hit it off from the start. He saw something in me. We became very close and he was the biggest influence in my career.”13 Said Bud Selig, “Harvey was the perfect manager for that club. Just let the club play was his philosophy. These guys knew how to play. Harvey was so unassuming and didn’t overmanage. He did a brilliant job”14

After the World Series Caldwell said, “I think more than anything else in the world, I wanted to win it for Harvey Kuenn. Even above getting a ring, getting the money, getting all that stuff in the winter.”15

And the feelings were mutual. Kuenn said after the World Series, “Every player on this team is like a son of mine and they gave it all they had.”16

Notes

1 Bob Wolf, “Kuenn Is a Champion … Even in Defeat,” Milwaukee Journal, October 21, 1982: Part 3, 3.

2 Tom Flaherty, “Players Not Happy with Buck,” Milwaukee Journal, September 13, 1981: Sports, 1.

3 Vic Feuerherd, “Rodgers and Players Working on Understanding Each Other,” Milwaukee Sentinel, April 6, 1982: Part 2, 1.

4 Vic Feuerherd, “Dalton Will Avoid Quick Decision About Rodgers,” Milwaukee Sentinel, June 2, 1982: Part 2, 1.

5 The Brewers 2-1 victory that evening gave Rodgers a 124-102 record, a .549 winning percentage. Of the 19 Brewers managers as of 2018, only Kuenn’s .575 was better (minimum 20 games).

6 Vic Feuerherd, “Rodgers Fired; Kuenn at Helm,” Milwaukee Sentinel, June 3, 1982: 1.

7 “Rodgers: A Sense of Failure,” Milwaukee Sentinel, June 3, 1982: Part 3, 1.

8 “Kuenn Starts New Job with Brewers,” Milwaukee Journal, June 3, 1982: Part 3, 1.

9 “Brewer Players Speak on Managerial Switch,” Milwaukee Journal, June 3, 1982: Part 3, 1.

10 Tom Flaherty, “Kuehn Manages to Win,” Milwaukee Journal, June 3, 1982: Part 3, 1.

11 “Kuenn Starts New Job with Brewers,” Milwaukee Journal, June 3, 1982: Part 3, 1.

12 Tom Flaherty, “Kuenn Wants ’83 One Game Better,” The Sporting News, November 8, 1982: 30.

13 Mario Ziino, “Like a Father, Harvey Kuenn Got the Most from His Boys,” Brewers Game Day, Issue 10-2007.

14 Ziino, “Like a Father, Harvey Kuenn Got the Most from His Boys.”

15 Tom Flaherty, “A Dream Ends for Caldwell,” The Sporting News, November 1, 1982: 29.

16 Wolf.

St. Louis lit the scoreboard with a four-run first inning. Up one with two on, Willie McGee’s two-out sinking liner skipped to the wall after it eluded center fielder Andre Dawson. Dane Iorg and Darrell Porter scored while the speedy McGee circled the bases for an inside-the-park home run.2 In the ninth, the Redbirds held a two-run margin with closer Bruce Sutter on the hill vying for his 36th save. The Cubs had defeated the second-place Phillies, so except for the shouting, the division race was over.

Dawson lined to center, and Al Oliver grounded out. Gary Carter stepped in, and Buck made the long-awaited call that pronounced St. Louis the champs, “The pitch. A groundball to third, Oberkfell has it. Throws. That’s it. The Cardinals have won it by the score of 4-2. And that one is for Mr. Busch, for Butch Yatkeman, for Ken Boyer, and for all the Cardinal fans who have been so loyal this year.”3 The team eventually ended the regular season 92-70 for their best finish since 1968.

Prosperity improved for the St. Louis Cardinals after they hired Whitey Herzog as manager on June 8, 1980. The 48-year-old “White Rat” turned down an initial one-year offer because of past difficulties negotiating his annual agreements with Kansas City. Busch and his lawyer quickly approved a three-year deal.4 Herzog replaced Ken Boyer with St. Louis in last place in the NL East with an 18-34 mark.5 He joined his new team in Atlanta the next evening, and began to see examples of what cost Boyer his job. After a short time, he reported to Busch that it was the first time he had ever been scared to walk through his own clubhouse. Redbirds GM John Claiborne was fired, and later Herzog, on a plea from Busch, accepted the front-office position. Herzog would be the guy to remove players and add talent. Busch agreed that Herzog could return as manager after the “housecleaning” was completed.6

The 81-year-old Busch wanted one more world championship, and was stunned by Herzog’s report that the Cardinals were in no position to win anything with the “sorry bunch” of players on the roster; or with much of the minor-league assemblage. Busch asked to be kept informed and gave Herzog carte blanche to construct a team to his preference.7 On a suggestion from former Cardinals GM Bing Devine, Herzog frequently visited Busch at his home over some Budweiser to talk baseball.8

The Cardinals had All-Star talents in catcher Ted Simmons, first baseman Keith Hernandez, and shortstop Garry Templeton. Simmons was an exciting switch-hitter, but lacked the “pitcher-handling” and defensive abilities required by a backstop. Hernandez was a proven leader in offense and defense, and shared the 1979 NL MVP. The brash-talking, switch-hitting Templeton batted with “hard-nosed” authority, but could be a challenge on the defensive and hustling lines.

In the offseason, Herzog first pursued a catcher, and set sights on Kansas City’s Darrell Porter. Joe McDonald, the former New York Mets GM, was made an assistant, and they got Porter (who was on his honeymoon cruise) to agree to a five-year deal. The plan was to shift Simmons to first with Hernandez moving to left. Hernandez said the outfield was fine with him, and Simmons (through his agent) agreed to his position relocation. With that rework seemingly done, Herzog chased after a needed closer. The first big deal of the winter meetings was made with San Diego’s Jack McKeon to acquire relief ace Rollie Fingers, catcher Gene Tenace, southpaw Bob Shirley, and minor-leaguer Bob Geren for young catcher Terry Kennedy and five other roster denizens whom Herzog felt he could do without.9 “I’ll be back tomorrow,” Herzog promised the media.10

Former Cy Young Award winner Sutter was the reliever Herzog coveted, but getting Chicago Cubs GM Bob Kennedy (whose son the Cardinals had just traded) to support such a transaction proved cumbersome. Kennedy wanted first baseman-outfielder Leon Durham and infielders Tommy Herr and Ty Waller. Herzog wanted to keep Durham and Herr, so he offered third baseman Kenny Reitz. After relenting on Herr, Kennedy asserted, “No Durham, no Sutter.” As pieces came together, Herzog learned that Reitz had a no-trade clause. St. Louis bought this out for $50,000 to complete the bartering. Finally, Herzog had Sutter and his split-finger fastball. Fingers insisted that he would be fine in the same bullpen, but after Herzog offered game-situation scenarios, Fingers felt he would be better off with another team.11

A problem surfaced a day later when Simmons balked about playing first, and told his agent to inform Herzog that he had changed his mind. Herzog liked Simmons, but was upset about this reversal since he now had to deal with another significant roster shakeup. The Oakland A’s and Milwaukee Brewers were the only teams willing to talk about Simmons and his large no-trade contract. Simmons vetoed Oakland because it was too far away. A multiplayer package was compiled, but Brewers GM Harry Dalton froze once Herzog requested Milwaukee’s top prospect, outfielder David Green. Simmons requested $750,000 for his no-trade to be purchased, so Milwaukee started to withdraw from the proposal. Suddenly, George Steinbrenner informed Herzog that the Yankees wanted to acquire Simmons, and it did not matter how much the buyout would be.12

Dalton reconsidered and asked Herzog how much the Cardinals would be willing to pay on Simmons’s buyout. Herzog retorted, “Not one red cent. Either you take him or we’ll ship him to someone else.” Since he did not want Simmons moved to a rival, Dalton requested extra time, and then an extension of the Cardinals’ deadline. After lengthy front-office discussion, Milwaukee agreed to swap Green, outfielder Sixto Lezcano, and pitchers Lary Sorensen and Dave LaPoint for Simmons, Fingers, and pitcher Pete Vuckovich.13 While the transactions with San Diego and Chicago had St. Louis fans chirping positively, the trade of Simmons had them proclaiming that it was one swap too many.14

Meanwhile, there were 22 candidates to consider for the St. Louis manager’s position. One applicant told Herzog that he had never played baseball, but did not see why that made any difference. Herzog wrote him back and said he would keep him in mind. Gene Mauch and Joe Altobelli were viewed as front-runners, but went elsewhere.15 Herzog later announced that he would return as the Redbirds’ pilot since he had orchestrated the roster overhaul.16

The media-coined term Whiteyball started taking shape during 1981 spring training in St. Petersburg, Florida. Herzog appointed longtime Cardinals minor-league coach George Kissell to implement ways for St. Louis baserunners to get a better break from third base. Kissell accepted the task and applied his longtime “Cardinal Way” philosophy. Kissell preached to his plebes, “Tell me and I’ll forget. Show me and I’ll remember. Involve me and I’ll understand.”17 Coach Red Schoendienst categorized Whiteyball as good fundamental baseball that worked with productive outs. “It was getting a guy on first, stealing second, moving to third on a groundout, and scoring on a fly ball,” explained Schoendienst.18 Herzog tabbed Chuck Hiller to be his third-base coach. Hiller had served Herzog in the same capacity during prior managerial locations.

The Cardinals opened the 1981 season with a 5-2 loss to the World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies. Many of the Redbirds faithful had already painted a large target on the back of Porter, and the new catcher did not help his cause by grounding into a rally-killing double play while going hitless. Also, on the first ball fielded by Ken Oberkfell at third, his throw sailed high over the reach of Hernandez. Conversely, Sutter entered the next afternoon to notch a save with three frames of relief.

Porter, who had left the Royals for alcohol and drug treatment in 1980, was hitting .176 with nine RBIs when he was shelved on May 18 with a right-shoulder rotator cuff injury. Cardinals surgeon Stan London consulted with Dr. Frank Jobe in Los Angeles on a diagnosis, but the prognosis appeared unfavorable.19 An anticipated players strike started on June 12 with the Cardinals in second place, 1½ games behind the Phillies. Just before play halted, switch-hitting center fielder Tony Scott was traded to Houston for Joaquin Andujar. Herzog directed pitching coach Hub Kittle to bring Andujar out of a delivery funk the high-strung hurler had been in for the past year and a half.20

After the strike was settled in early August, the Cardinals started the “second season” winning five of their first six. However, a concern was festering in the clubhouse and it came to an unfortunate head at Busch Stadium. On August 26 Templeton was nursing a sore knee and complained about having to play in a rain-delayed afternoon contest following a night game. Herzog explained to his shortstop that the team was in a pennant race, and that Templeton would be in the lineup whether he liked it or not. Templeton took his brooding to the field, and failed to run to first on a dropped third strike. The small Ladies Day gathering started booing and resumed their taunts as Templeton returned to his position.21 Templeton responded with an obscene gesture and received a warning from the umpires.22

In the top of the fourth with St. Louis trailing San Francisco, 2-0, Templeton saluted the hecklings with another indecency. Plate umpire Bruce Froemming ejected Templeton, and he stalked off the field.23 At the mound, he grabbed his crotch as the catcalls increased. When the volatile infielder neared the dugout, a furious Herzog reached up and yanked Templeton down the steps before players got between the two combatants.24 A comeback 9-4 win did not appease the locals after they witnessed or learned of the ballfield drama. Herzog later said, “I’m not proud about what I did. But I had to do it. No player is going to show up the fans.”25

Templeton was suspended and fined $5,000. Days later he was hospitalized for depression and a chemical imbalance and requested a change of baseball scenery.26 He returned on September 15, batted .369 through the end of the season, and played pretty well, according to Herzog. However, the damage was done. Templeton had upset the fans, his teammates, and Mr. Busch – who told Herzog to trade the moody talent.27 On the plus side, Andujar finished 6-1, and Porter returned with a healthy shoulder and drove in 23 runs. Nonetheless, the Cardinals lost out on the divisional playoff berth by a half-game and missed postseason play for the 13th consecutive season.

Herzog was voted UPI’s Executive of the Year before thoughts of a new shortstop for the next season could percolate. He executed a pair of offseason transactions that ultimately made heads turn. October brought a deal dubbed negligible when it involved southpaw Bob Sykes going to the Yankees for Double-A switch-hitting outfielder Willie McGee. In November, starting pitchers Silvio Martinez and Sorensen were sent to Cleveland via a three-team trade that brought Philadelphia outfielder Lonnie Smith to St. Louis. The speedy, right-handed-batting Smith was projected as the new center fielder.28

Herzog was earnestly looking for a shortstop to exchange Templeton for and found the pickings slim. After several veterans were eliminated, Herzog checked to see if San Diego’s Ozzie Smith was available, but McKeon said that Smith was untouchable. Nonetheless, during the early part of the winter meetings, McKeon asked Herzog if he was still interested in Ozzie. Herzog was confused, but the San Diego GM explained that the Padres were miffed at Smith’s agent. A package involving six players was orchestrated with Templeton, Lezcano, and minor-league pitcher Luis DeLeon going to San Diego for Smith and pitchers Steve Mura and Al Olmsted.29

However, Ozzie Smith had a no-trade clause and zero desire to leave sunny California, and did not want to be swapped to St. Louis. Reading about the apparent stonewall, “Cardinals Nation” disdained Smith’s two Gold Gloves, and focused on the career offensive yield of Templeton’s .305 outpacing Smith’s .231. A public campaign to rescind the deal was forged, but quickly flamed out. Herzog could see all sides of the matter, and the clubhouse climate he desired prompted him to fly to San Diego and meet with Smith about what Herzog was trying to accomplish. Herzog told Smith and his agent that if one year in St. Louis did not work out, then Ozzie could be a free agent after the season.30

Ozzie Smith finally agreed to the trade and Herzog looked back over 18 months of roster manipulation. The starting lineup from June 1980 had Hernandez, Oberkfell, and George Hendrick still in St. Louis, while the only starting pitcher remaining was Bob Forsch. Herzog had added speed, subtracted difficult personalities, and upgraded pitching, catching, and defense. He felt the guys currently on the roster could play together and win games. It also became time for Herzog to move away from the GM position to concentrate on piloting his crew toward the postseason.31

The 1982 campaign started in Houston on April 6 with the Cardinals blasting the Astros, 14-3. Everyone in the starting lineup collected at least one hit, and it was the most runs scored by the franchise on Opening Day since 1928. After three straight losses, St. Louis followed with 12 consecutive wins. Second baseman Herr commented, “We just go out and play with confidence every day. To me, that’s the sign of a good club.”32 The 12 successive victories were the team’s longest winning streak since 1943, but this particular feat was overshadowed by the Atlanta Braves, who opened the season with 13 wins.33

Green’s hamstring injury in early May brought McGee from Triple A, and he rapidly became a popular fixture in center field. A May 30 walk-off 6-5 win over San Diego was noteworthy after St. Louis rallied for three runs in the ninth to force extra innings. However, the Padres answered with a pair in the 10th to go up 5-3. In the Cardinals’ half with two out and nobody on, the Redbirds pulled a stunner. Down a run, super-sub Mike Ramsey singled home Lonnie Smith with the tying run. After a hit batsman, Iorg knocked home the winner. As Ramsey scored, all Jack Buck could exclaim was, “Unbelievable!”34

St. Louis moved four games up on Montreal after a hard-fought 3-2 walk-off on June 15. A new fan-appreciation measurement had morphed at Busch Stadium when standing ovations held up contests after Ozzie Smith made another spectacular play. Displaying fire and flamboyance on the mound, Andujar, described himself as “One Tough Dominican” while being monitored by Herzog and Kittle. At the All-Star break, Lonnie Smith was batting .306 with 70 runs scored and 41 stolen bases.

The Cardinals slumped from late July into August and found themselves trailing the Phillies by three games. A 7-1 road trip to New York and Pittsburgh vaulted the Redbirds back into first place. On August 22, a steamy afternoon against San Francisco ended astonishingly when third-string catcher Glenn Brummer took it upon himself to steal home with the bases loaded, two outs, and a two-strike count in the 12th. The Giants argued heatedly with plate umpire Dave Pallone, to no avail.35

Philadelphia mounted another charge and moved a half-game ahead of St. Louis on September 13. The next evening at Veterans Stadium, Sutter relieved rookie starter John Stuper with two on and one out in the bottom of the eighth. The Cardinals were leading 2-0, and an infield hit by Gary Matthews jammed the bases. Sutter took a deep breath, went into his stretch, and got Mike Schmidt to ground into a 1-2-3 double play.36 The bearded closer retired the Phillies in the ninth and moved St. Louis back to the top. By winning 11 of their next 14 games, the Cardinals secured the NL East Division title, and were in the postseason for the first time since 1968.

Skippered by former Cardinal Joe Torre, the NL West champion Atlanta Braves came to St. Louis to begin a best-of-five National League Championship Series on October 6. Torre had ex-Redbirds Bob Gibson and Dal Maxvill on his coaching staff. During the regular season, the Braves earned a 7-5 advantage over the Cardinals. Phil Niekro had St. Louis down 1-0 after 4½ innings before heavy rain washed out the game.

The next evening Forsch fired a 7-0 shutout while defeating Pascual Perez with a five-run sixth inning. Rain shrouded the Midwest the next day to push Game Two off 24 hours. Atlanta called on the 43-year-old Niekro again, and the ageless knuckleballer controlled a 3-1 lead after five. The Cardinals plated single tallies in the sixth and eighth to set the stage for the bottom of the ninth. Oberkfell lined a one-out drive just past the reach of center fielder Brett Butler to send Green home with the walk-off 4-3 winner.

With two postponements stretching the NLCS, the teams flew to Atlanta with no day off before Game Three. On October 10 the Cardinals rocked Rick Camp with four second-inning runs and breezed behind Andujar and Sutter for a 6-2 NL pennant-clincher. During the series sweep, Porter and Ozzie Smith both hit .556. Porter also walked five times, and was named the MVP of the NLCS. It was the 13th pennant for the franchise.

The World Series opened in St. Louis on October 12 with the Cardinals facing the powerful Milwaukee Brewers. Managed by Harvey Kuenn, his Wallbangers clouted 216 home runs to the Cardinals’ 67, and plated over 200 more runs than the Redbirds did in the regular season. More than a light rain dampened the Series opener as Milwaukee jumped on St. Louis early and often during a 10-0 thumping. Left-hander Mike Caldwell allowed just three hits, while the first two Brewers, Paul Molitor (5 hits) and Robin Yount (4), amassed three times that figure as part of a 17-hit attack. Herzog said the only good thing about the evening was that they did not have to play a doubleheader.37

In Game Two Simmons proved that you can go home again when he blasted his second homer of the series to give Milwaukee a 3-0 third-inning cushion against Stuper. The Cardinals plated a pair off Don Sutton in the bottom half, but Cecil Cooper nicked Jim Kaat for an RBI single in the fifth. Porter put St. Louis fans on their feet by dropping a two-out two-run double down the left-field line to tie things, 4-4. Steve Braun coaxed a controversial bases-loaded walk from Pete Ladd in the eighth inning to account for the 5-4 finish tying the Series at a game each.38

Game Three became the Willie McGee show. First, the rookie center fielder made a leaping catch at the wall on Molitor’s first-inning drive. With the game scoreless in the fifth, McGee blasted a three-run homer off Vuckovich. In the seventh, after Lonnie Smith tripled and scored on a throwing error, McGee went deep again to make the score 5-0. In the bottom half, Andujar took a painful comebacker to his right leg and was carried off. The advantage was 6-2 with Sutter pitching in the ninth. With one on and no outs, Gorman Thomas knocked an offering high and deep to the left-center alley. McGee raced over and soared high at the fence to backhand the drive.39 Sutter retired the next two, and the Cardinals were up two games to one.

In Game Four, St. Louis had struck for three runs by the third frame with two scoring on Herr’s deep sacrifice fly. Former Brewers southpaw LaPoint was cruising, 5-1, with one out in the seventh when he dropped an easy toss covering first.40 The harmless-looking miscue opened the floodgates as Milwaukee plated six runs on five hits off four hurlers to take a 7-5 lead, and tie the Series at two games each.

The Cardinals figured out how to hit Caldwell in Game Five, but they could not outscore the Brewers during a tough 6-4 loss. Fifteen safeties by St. Louis could not produce enough tallies as they stranded 12. Yount homered among his four hits and was serenaded with MVP chants by the Milwaukee fans. The Redbirds headed back home trailing three games to two.

With precipitation definitely in the St. Louis forecast for Game Six, Stuper was phenomenal, hurling a complete game through separate weather delays totaling over two hours. Cardinals bats thundered throughout a stormy night as Porter and Hernandez each ripped two-run homers, while Iorg collected three hits. Coupled with Sutton and Doc Medich being roughed up, the Brewers committed four errors during the 13-1 blowout to even the Series at three wins apiece.

On a cold and crisp October 20, Game Seven moved into the spotlight with Andujar and Vuckovich squaring off for the title. St. Louis mustered a short-lived 1-0 lead until Ben Ogilvie parked a long home run to open the fifth inning. Milwaukee seemingly took command during the sixth, scoring two runs on three hits, Andujar’s error, and a sacrifice fly to go up 3-1. With one down in the bottom half, the “Smith Brothers” rallied the Cardinals. Ozzie punched a single to left, and Lonnie scorched a double into the left-field corner.41 Lefty Bob McClure relieved and walked pinch-hitter Tenace, with Ramsey coming in to pinch-run.

Hernandez laced a game-tying two-run single to right-center with Ramsey diving safely into third. Hendrick directed a single to right to plate Ramsey for a 4-3 lead. With one out in the seventh, Milwaukee’s lefty-swinging Roy Howell lofted a drive to left. Lonnie Smith turned the catchable fly ball into a twisted-running “lucky stab” for a “heart-stopping” second out. After Charlie Moore singled, Jim Gantner was retired when Andujar threw him out at first. Unexpectedly, Andujar and Gantner exchanged verbal barbs near the baseline. As the benches began to stir, plate umpire Lee Weyer wrapped up Andujar, and instructed Kittle to accompany the fiery competitor to the dugout.42

Sutter, who was hit hard in County Stadium, retired Milwaukee in order in the eighth. The Cardinals added important insurance runs in their half with two-out RBI singles off Caldwell by Porter and Braun to increase their advantage to 6-3. In the ninth, Sutter got Simmons and Ogilvie to ground out before fanning Thomas for the final out. Porter ripped off his mask and flung it high as he ran to embrace Sutter before the rest of the Redbirds and thousands of fans joined the celebration.43

In an unusual twist of ironies, Darrell Porter, the Brewers’ top draft pick in 1970, was selected the World Series MVP. August Busch Jr., who kept the Cardinals’ franchise from moving to Milwaukee in 1953 after his brewery purchased the team, accepted the World Series championship trophy.44 The championship was the ninth in Cardinals history. Porter happily reflected, “Ever since I was a Little Leaguer, I wanted to be on a world championship team. And now my dreams have come true.”45

RUSS LAKE lives in Champaign, Illinois, and is a retired college professor. The 1964 St. Louis Cardinals remain his favorite team, and he was distressed to see Sportsman’s Park (aka Busch Stadium I) being demolished not long after he had attended the last game there on May 8, 1966. His wife, Carol, deserves an MVP award for watching all of a 13-inning ballgame in Cincinnati with Russ in 1971 — during their honeymoon. In 1994 he was an editor for David Halberstam’s baseball book “October 1964.”

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author accessed Retrosheet.org, Baseball-Reference.com, Baseball-Almanac.com, Newspapers.com, and SABR.org/bioproject.

Photo credit: Whitey Herzog, SABR-Rucker Archive.

Notes

1 With no games that were missed due to the players strike from June 12 to August 10 to be made up; the Cardinals (59-43) and the Cincinnati Reds (66-42), with the best won-lost records for the full season in the NL, did not qualify for the playoffs.

2 Video, The Saint Louis Cardinals, The Movie (St. Louis National Baseball Club, 1985).

3 Video, The Saint Louis Cardinals. During his end-of-game call, Jack Buck paid homage to August A. Busch for his 30th season of team ownership; Butch Yatkeman, the well-liked Cardinals clubhouse man, who was retiring in 1982 after 59 years of service; Ken Boyer, captain of the Cardinals, 1964 MVP, and former St. Louis manager, who succumbed to lung cancer on September 7, 1982; The St. Louis fans who made the ’82 Busch Stadium turnstiles click a then franchise-high 2,111,906 times.

4 Whitey Herzog and Kevin Horrigan, White Rat, A Life in Baseball (New York: Harper & Row, 1987), 115-116.

5 Boyer skippered the 1980 Cardinals to an 18-33 record before he was fired by GM John Claiborne on June 8, 1980, between games of a doubleheader. Third-base coach Jack Krol (0-1) piloted St. Louis during their loss in the nightcap.

6 Herzog and Horrigan, 119-120.

7 Herzog and Horrigan, 117-118.

8 Jack Buck with Rob Rains and Bob Broeg, Jack Buck: That’s a Winner! (Champaign, Illinois: Sports Publishing, 1997), 174.

9 Herzog and Horrigan, 124-127.

10 Bill Conlin, “While Rivals Snoozed, Herzog Pulled Heists,” The Sporting News, December 27, 1980: 46.

11 Herzog and Horrigan, 127-128.

12 Herzog and Horrigan, 129-131.

13 Herzog and Horrigan, 129-131.

14 Rick Hummel, “Fans Give Whitey a Heat Treatment,” The Sporting News, January 3, 1981: 52.

15 Hummel, “22 Candidates in Cards Derby,” The Sporting News, October 25, 1980: 35; Dick Young, “Young Ideas,” The Sporting News, September 27, 1980: 16.

16 Rob Rains, The St. Louis Cardinals, The 100th Anniversary History (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1992), 241.

17 Derrick Goold, “Now in Book Form: The Cardinal Way,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 18, 2012: stltoday.com, accessed August 18, 2018.

18 Red Schoendienst with Rob Rains, Red, A Baseball Life (Champaign, Illinois: Sports Publishing, 1998), 181.

19 Rick Hummel, “Rincon Injury Shakes Redbird Roost,” The Sporting News, May 30, 1981: 41.

20 Herzog and Horrigan, 134.

21 Herzog and Horrigan, 135-136.

22 Rick Hummel, “Templeton Gets Psychiatric Help,” The Sporting News, September 12, 1981: 39, 53.

23 Hummel, “Templeton Gets Psychiatric Help.”

24 Herzog and Horrigan, 136.

25 Hummel, “Templeton Gets Psychiatric Help.”

26 Herzog and Horrigan, 136.

27 Herzog and Horrigan, 136.

28 Herzog and Horrigan, 139.

29 Herzog and Horrigan, 137-138.

30 Herzog and Horrigan, 138.

31 Herzog and Horrigan, 139-140.

32 Rick Hummel, “Cards Halted by Carlton,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 26, 1982: 26.

33 Hummel, “Cards Halted by Carlton.”

34 Video, The Saint Louis Cardinals, The Movie.

35 Video, The Saint Louis Cardinals, The Movie.

36 Video, The Saint Louis Cardinals, The Movie.

37 Dick Kaegel, “A Contrast in Styles,” The Sporting News, October 25, 1982: 3.

38 Kaegel, “A Contrast in Styles.”

39 Kaegel, “A Contrast in Styles.”

40 Kaegel, “A Contrast in Styles.”

41 Video, The Saint Louis Cardinals, The Movie.

42 youtube.com, 1982 World Series – Game 7, accessed August 30, 2018.

43  youtube.com, 1982 World Series – Game 7.

44 Gregory H. Wolf, ed., Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis (Phoenix: Society for American Baseball Research, 2017), 55.

45 “Porter Delivers the Goods,” The Sporting News, November 1, 1982: 28.

A crowd estimated at 100,000 filled both sides of Wisconsin Avenue from North Cass Street to 10th Street as their motorcade, with the players riding in vintage convertibles provided by local car dealer Wally Rank, was showered by confetti and greeted with loud cheers.

Brewers pitcher Jim Slaton recalled how he felt the day after the Brewers lost Game Seven. “I remember how down I was. My first feeling was that I didn’t want to go. I think everybody was mentally drained. But to see the way the fans reacted around town was very gratifying and uplifting. I’ve been in a lot of places, just about every baseball town, and I can’t think of any place better than Milwaukee was.”1

Robin Yount shared Slaton’s emotions. “I was still so mad that morning knowing we had to go to the ballpark and go through this parade. I really didn’t want to do that. … But it ended up being a great thing.”2

Brewers manager Harvey Kuenn commented about the huge turnout, “It’s like my wife (Audrey) said on the ride to the park through that crowd on Wisconsin Avenue. She told me it was like we didn’t lose, and that’s the way I feel. We might have lost the game, but we were not losers.”3

Team owner Bud Selig’s thoughts were about the loyal Brewers fans: “I guess when I woke up this morning, I was the only disappointed man in town, and I have to qualify what I mean by disappointed. We had such a storybook year, there’s no question about that. But through the last three innings of last night’s game, I kept thinking about the fans here. I know how bad I felt, so I know how bad they must have felt. But when the car was stopped during the parade, a man came up to me and said, ‘You just can’t imagine the joy you have brought to this town.’ And he’s right. We did something for this city, and I can’t explain how remarkable it is. It’s just wonderful.”4

After the parade, the motorcade moved off Wisconsin Avenue and took I-94 westbound for County Stadium for a rally there. While in transit, semi-truck drivers acknowledged the team by sounding their horns, and some cars pulled onto the shoulder to watch.

Fifteen thousand fans were awaiting the Brewers at Milwaukee County Stadium for a rally that began at about 1:20 P.M. The only sour note came when the car carrying Dwight Bernard and Jerry Augustine broke down on the right-field warning track and needed a tow.

All of the players rode in the vintage cars, but Robin Yount had another idea. When he arrived at County Stadium, he left the car he was riding in, ran to the dugout and toward the clubhouse. Yount talked about his means of transportation for his trip inside the stadium. “I rode this dirt bike through the streets of Milwaukee. It didn’t even have license plates,” he said. “I didn’t care if I got pulled over. It just didn’t matter. Nothing mattered at that time. I was kind of being a rebel or whatever. That motorcycle wasn’t even street legal, but for whatever reason I had it in Milwaukee all year. It was just a dirt bike. It just happened out of the clear blue. It wasn’t planned. It ended up being something that everybody remembered.”5

Brewers owner Selig was surprised and concerned about Yount’s motorcycle ride. “I almost died,” Selig exclaimed. “Here comes this figure racing around like a madman, and it’s Robin. I can still remember Vuckovich and Simmons saying, ‘Don’t worry. Your kid will be all right.’ I’m up there ready to faint, but the crowd went wild. Nobody knew he was going to do it.”6

Charlie Moore summed up his feelings about the great homecoming: “The whole thing was simply unbelievable. It helps take the sting out of the Series.”7

Paul Molitor expressed the emotional roller-coaster of the last 24 hours. “Last night I said I was sorry because we weren’t able to bring back a world championship for you, but today, you’ve paid us all back.”8

RICK SCHABOWSKI has been a SABR member since 1995. He is a retired machinist at the Harley David- son Company, is currently serving as an industrial mathematics teacher at Waukesha Community Technical College and at the Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership in the Manufacturing Program, and is a certified manufacturing skills standards council instructor. He is president of the Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter of SABR, treasurer of the Milwaukee Braves Historical Association, and a member of the Hoop Historians and the Pro Football Research Association. He is the author of a book about the Milwaukee Bucks championship season, From Coin Toss to Championship: 1971 The Year of the Milwaukee Bucks. He lives in St. Francis, Wisconsin.

Notes

1 Tom Haudricourt, Brewers Essentials: Everything You Need to Know to Be a Real Fan (Chicago: Triumph Books, 2008), 62.

2 Haudricourt, 63.

3 Vic Feuerherd, “Cheers! Fans Let Brewers Know That Losing Series ‘Doesn’t Matter,’” Milwaukee Sentinel, October 22, 1982: 2-1.

4 Feuerherd: 2-8.

5 Haudricourt, 62.

6 Haudricourt, 64.

7 Feuerherd: 2-1.

8 Feuerherd: 2-1.